Europe On Sale -- Plenty Of Good Seats Available

Travel Agents And Industry Experts Say The Deals For U.s. Travelers Are Steals.

February 17, 2002|By Wall Street Journal

With many seats still going empty on overseas flights, U.S. travelers can expect more hot bargains to Europe during the cold winter months.

International air fares dropped 13.8 percent in December, yet nearly a quarter of the seats on international flights were empty, according to the Air Transport Association. Many travelers are still leery of flying, and there's a preference during the winter months toward warm-weather destinations closer to home. These factors have led to heavy discounting and plenty of perks in European travel.

Dyana Gearhart, a Chicago human-resources consultant, said she originally planned to take a cruise to the Caribbean in March until she saw the bargains to Rome, London and Paris. She opted instead for a six-night trip to Paris for $594, which covered hotel and transfers as well as air fare.

"Most of the time you can only fly there for that price," the 23-year-old says. "I can't afford Europe in the summer, and even if I could, it's too crowded . . . and the prices won't ever be this cheap again."

There are always bargains to Europe during the traditionally slow winter months. But travel agents and industry experts say this year the deals are a steal. "These are probably the best deals ever," says Robert Titley, a spokesman for the British Tourist Authority.

British Airways, for example, recently wrapped up a sale on round-trip fares to 45 European cities for travel through April 6. A flight from New York to London was as low as $198 -- excluding taxes, which can add $110 or so -- and included a two-night hotel stay valued at $100. British Air even gave travelers $100 off the plane fare instead of the hotel accommodation, making the base air fare not much more expensive than round-trip cab fare between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Manhattan -- $70, plus tolls and tip.

British Air spokesman John Lampl said the sale filled some seats, but not enough. "There are a lot of available seats out there, and we want to try to sell as many as we can," he says. British Air's cheapest New York-London round trip is still $198, but without the free hotel.

Online travel agency Orbitz, which is owned by the largest U.S. airlines, recently e-mailed customers to tout sales on Web-only fares from American Airlines and Northwest Airlines for travel to Europe. A round-trip American flight from St. Louis to Brussels was $334, while a Northwest flight from Washington, D.C., to Venice was $296. (Air fares are subject to frequent changes.)

To lure U.S. travelers, four- and five-star hotels in cities such as Paris, Rome and Milan are slashing rates through March. Some are even throwing in extras like breakfast, champagne and roses.

Radisson SAS Hotels has discounted rates at its 100 properties in Europe through March 31. Rooms at the Radisson SAS Palais Hotel in Vienna -- a five-star accommodation constructed out of two palaces built in 1872 -- are $134 a night, down from $236. A room at the Radisson SAS Alcron Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic, is $132, down from $246.

Travel agents say rooms in London are even cheaper. Robert Diener, president and co-founder of Dallas discount-lodging provider Hotel Reservations Network, says rates there have dropped an average of 10 percent to 25 percent from a year earlier. "London is the No. 1 destination for Americans, and that's where we've seen rates come down most significantly," he says.

Radisson Edwardian Hotels, a four- and five-star chain in London, has cut rates as much as 60 percent. Executive vice president Kelvin Houchin, says occupancy rates are still down about 6 percent, but the deals are paying off. "We're seeing a comeback in the leisure market."

Still, travel agents say U.S. travelers are scarce in many European cities.

Elaine Newnham, president of Time to Travel in Orlando, says rates to Europe are 30 percent to 40 percent cheaper this year, but the number of trips the agency has booked this month is down about 80 percent. She said she pitches her clients on bargains to Europe, "but no one's getting them except for business travelers."